Techniques and configurations to reduce transistor gate short defects

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations to reduce transistor gate short defects. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a plurality of lines, wherein individual lines of the plurality of lines comprise a gate electrode material, depositing an electrically insulative material to fill regions between the individual lines and subsequent to depositing the electrically insulative material, removing a portion of at least one of the individual lines to isolate gate electrode material of a first transistor device from gate electrode material of a second transistor device. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/069,265, filed Oct. 13, 2020, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,107, filed Aug.9, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,847,423, issued Nov. 24, 2020, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/415,495,filed Jan. 25, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,468,305, issued Nov. 5, 2019,which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/008,325, filed Jan. 27, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,761,497, issuedSep. 12, 2017, and entitled “TECHNIQUES AND CONFIGURATIONS TO REDUCETRANSISTOR GATE SHORT DEFECTS,” which is a division of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/137,909, filed Dec. 20, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.9,281,401, issued Mar. 8, 2016, the entire contents and disclosure ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and for allpurposes.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field ofintegrated circuits, and more particularly, to techniques andconfigurations to reduce transistor gate short defects.

BACKGROUND

Transistor structures may include gate electrodes and contact electrodesto route electrical energy to or from respective gates and source/drainregions. In some cases, patterning processes used to fabricate such gateelectrodes and contact electrodes may result in material of the contactelectrodes being deposited in a gate plug region, which may result indefects such as transistor gate short defects. The challenges ofshrinking alignment and critical dimension tolerances of these featuresmay further exacerbate such defects between material of gate electrodesand/or contact electrodes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by wayof limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a top view of an example die in waferform and in singulated form, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a cross-section side view of anintegrated circuit (IC) assembly, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 3 a-i schematically illustrate a top-down view and correspondingcross-section side views of a transistor electrode structure duringvarious stages of fabrication, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a flow diagram for a method offabricating a transistor electrode structure, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example system that may include atransistor electrode structure as described herein, in accordance withsome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques andconfigurations to reduce transistor gate short defects. In the followingdetailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawingswhich form a part hereof, wherein like numerals designate like partsthroughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments inwhich the subject matter of the present disclosure may be practiced. Itis to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized andstructural or logical changes may be made without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detaileddescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofembodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B”means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B),(A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such astop/bottom, side, over/under, and the like. Such descriptions are merelyused to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict theapplication of embodiments described herein to any particularorientation.

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “inembodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,”“having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of thepresent disclosure, are synonymous.

The term “coupled with,” along with its derivatives, may be used herein.“Coupled” may mean one or more of the following. “Coupled” may mean thattwo or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact.However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements indirectlycontact each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other,and may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connectedbetween the elements that are said to be coupled with each other. Theterm “directly coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in directcontact.

In various embodiments, the phrase “a first feature formed, deposited,or otherwise disposed on a second feature,” may mean that the firstfeature is formed, deposited, or disposed over the second feature, andat least a part of the first feature may be in direct contact (e.g.,direct physical and/or electrical contact) or indirect contact (e.g.,having one or more other features between the first feature and thesecond feature) with at least a part of the second feature.

As used herein, the term “module” may refer to, be part of, or includean Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electroniccircuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablecomponents that provide the described functionality.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a top view of an example die 102 inwafer form 10 and in singulated form 100, in accordance with someembodiments. In some embodiments, the die 102 may be one of a pluralityof dies (e.g., dies 102, 102 a, 102 b) of a wafer 11 composed ofsemiconductor material such as, for example, silicon or other suitablematerial. The plurality of dies may be formed on a surface of the wafer11. Each of the dies may be a repeating unit of a semiconductor productthat includes a transistor electrode structure (e.g., transistorelectrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ) as described herein. Forexample, the die 102 may include circuitry having transistor elementssuch as, for example, one or more channel bodies 104 (e.g., finstructures, nanowires, planar bodies, etc.) that provide a channelpathway for mobile charge carriers of one or more transistor devices.The transistor electrode structure described herein may be formed on achannel body to provide a gate electrode for delivery of a thresholdvoltage and source/drain current to provide the mobile charge carriersfor operation of a transistor device. Although the one or more channelbodies 104 are depicted in rows that traverse a substantial portion ofthe die 102 in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity, it is to be understoodthat one or more channel bodies 104 may be configured in any of a widevariety of other suitable arrangements on the die 102 in otherembodiments.

After a fabrication process of the semiconductor product embodied in thedies is complete, the wafer 11 may undergo a singulation process inwhich each of the dies (e.g., die 102) is separated from one another toprovide discrete “chips” of the semiconductor product. The wafer 11 maybe any of a variety of sizes. In some embodiments, the wafer 11 has adiameter ranging from about 25.4 mm to about 450 mm. The wafer 11 mayinclude other sizes and/or other shapes in other embodiments. Accordingto various embodiments, the one or more channel bodies 104 may bedisposed on a semiconductor substrate in wafer form 10 or singulatedform 100. The one or more channel bodies 104 described herein may beincorporated in a die 102 for logic or memory, or combinations thereof.In some embodiments, the one or more channel bodies 104 may be part of asystem-on-chip (SoC) assembly.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a cross-section side view of anintegrated circuit (IC) assembly 200, in accordance with someembodiments. In some embodiments, the IC assembly 200 may include one ormore dies (hereinafter “die 102”) electrically and/or physically coupledwith a package substrate 121. The die 102 may include one or morechannel bodies (e.g., one or more channel bodies 104 of FIG. 1 ) and oneor more corresponding transistor electrode structures as describedherein formed on the one or more channel bodies. In some embodiments,the package substrate 121 may be electrically coupled with a circuitboard 122, as can be seen.

The die 102 may represent a discrete product made from a semiconductormaterial (e.g., silicon) using semiconductor fabrication techniques suchas thin film deposition, lithography, etching and the like used inconnection with forming CMOS devices. In some embodiments, the die 102may be, include, or be a part of a processor, memory, SoC or ASIC insome embodiments. In some embodiments, an electrically insulativematerial such as, for example, molding compound or underfill material(not shown) may encapsulate at least a portion of the die 102 and/ordie-level interconnect structures 106.

The die 102 can be attached to the package substrate 121 according to awide variety of suitable configurations including, for example, beingdirectly coupled with the package substrate 121 in a flip-chipconfiguration, as depicted. In the flip-chip configuration, an activeside, S1, of the die 102 including circuitry is attached to a surface ofthe package substrate 121 using die-level interconnect structures 106such as bumps, pillars, or other suitable structures that may alsoelectrically couple the die 102 with the package substrate 121. Theactive side S1 of the die 102 may include multi-threshold voltagetransistor devices as described herein. An inactive side, S2, may bedisposed opposite to the active side S1, as can be seen.

The die 102 may generally include a semiconductor substrate 102 a, oneor more device layers (hereinafter “device layer 102 b”) and one or moreinterconnect layers (hereinafter “interconnect layer 102 c”). Thesemiconductor substrate 102 a may be substantially composed of a bulksemiconductor material such as, for example silicon, in someembodiments. The device layer 102 b may represent a region where activedevices such as transistor devices are formed on the semiconductorsubstrate. The device layer 102 b may include, for example, structuressuch as channel bodies (e.g., one or more channel bodies 104 of FIG. 1 )and/or source/drain regions of transistor devices. The interconnectlayer 102 c may include interconnect structures that are configured toroute electrical signals to or from the active devices in the devicelayer 102 b. For example, the interconnect layer 102 c may includetrenches and/or vias to provide electrical routing and/or contacts. Insome embodiments, the transistor electrode structure described herein(e.g., transistor electrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ) may bedisposed on transistor features of the device layer 102 b. Thetransistor electrode structure may be disposed between and electricallycouple the transistor devices of the device layer 102 b and theinterconnect structures of the interconnect layer 102 c.

In some embodiments, the die-level interconnect structures 106 may beconfigured to route electrical signals between the die 102 and otherelectrical devices. The electrical signals may include, for example,input/output (I/O) signals and/or power/ground signals that are used inconnection with operation of the die 102.

In some embodiments, the package substrate 121 is an epoxy-basedlaminate substrate having a core and/or build-up layers such as, forexample, an Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) substrate. The packagesubstrate 121 may include other suitable types of substrates in otherembodiments including, for example, substrates formed from glass,ceramic, or semiconductor materials.

The package substrate 121 may include electrical routing featuresconfigured to route electrical signals to or from the die 102. Theelectrical routing features may include, for example, pads or traces(not shown) disposed on one or more surfaces of the package substrate121 and/or internal routing features (not shown) such as, for example,trenches, vias or other interconnect structures to route electricalsignals through the package substrate 121. For example, in someembodiments, the package substrate 121 may include electrical routingfeatures such as pads (not shown) configured to receive the respectivedie-level interconnect structures 106 of the die 102.

The circuit board 122 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) composed ofan electrically insulative material such as an epoxy laminate. Forexample, the circuit board 122 may include electrically insulatinglayers composed of materials such as, for example,polytetrafluoroethylene, phenolic cotton paper materials such as FlameRetardant 4 (FR-4), FR-1, cotton paper and epoxy materials such as CEM-1or CEM-3, or woven glass materials that are laminated together using anepoxy resin prepreg material. Interconnect structures (not shown) suchas traces, trenches, vias may be formed through the electricallyinsulating layers to route the electrical signals of the die 102 throughthe circuit board 122. The circuit board 122 may be composed of othersuitable materials in other embodiments. In some embodiments, thecircuit board 122 is a motherboard (e.g., motherboard 502 of FIG. 5 ).

Package-level interconnects such as, for example, solder balls 112 maybe coupled to one or more pads (hereinafter “pads 110”) on the packagesubstrate 121 and/or on the circuit board 122 to form correspondingsolder joints that are configured to further route the electricalsignals between the package substrate 121 and the circuit board 122. Thepads 110 may be composed of any suitable electrically conductivematerial such as metal including, for example, nickel (Ni), palladium(Pd), gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and combinations thereof.Other suitable techniques to physically and/or electrically couple thepackage substrate 121 with the circuit board 122 may be used in otherembodiments.

The IC assembly 200 may include a wide variety of other suitableconfigurations in other embodiments including, for example, suitablecombinations of flip-chip and/or wire-bonding configurations,interposers, multi-chip package configurations includingsystem-in-package (SiP) and/or package-on-package (PoP) configurations.Other suitable techniques to route electrical signals between the die102 and other components of the IC assembly 200 may be used in someembodiments.

FIGS. 3 a-i schematically illustrate a top-down view and correspondingcross-section side views of a transistor electrode structure 300 duringvarious stages of fabrication, in accordance with some embodiments. Ineach of FIGS. 3 a-i , the top-down view is depicted on the far left andcross-section side views along lines A-A′ and B-B′ are depicted to theright of the top-down view, as can be seen. The cross-section viewsalong lines A-A′ and B-B′ may only depict a region above the devicelayer 330 and numeric labels presented in the figures may not beduplicated in each of the subsequent figures for the sake of simplicity.

Referring to FIG. 3 a , a transistor electrode structure 300 is depictedsubsequent to forming one or more lines (hereinafter “lines 332”) onfeatures of a device layer 330. The device layer 330 may comport withembodiments described in connection with device layer 102 b of FIG. 2 .The lines 332 may be formed, for example, by depositing a gate electrodematerial on the device layer 330. For example, the gate electrodematerial may be blanket-deposited to cover underlying channel bodies andsource/drain regions of transistor devices. In an embodiment where thetransistor devices are fin-based transistor devices, the channel bodiesmay include fin structures that extend in a direction (e.g., a directionalong lines A-A′ or B-B′) that is substantially perpendicular with alengthwise direction of the lines 332. The deposited gate electrodematerial may be recessed using a suitable process such as, for example,a polish process. The polish process may include, for example, achemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process that recesses thedeposited gate electrode material to a desired thickness (e.g., toprovide a design height of the lines 332). Portions of the gateelectrode material may be removed using a patterning process such as,for example, lithography and/or etch processes to form the lines 332.The lines 332 may be parallel to one another in some embodiments, as canbe seen.

The gate electrode material may be composed of any suitable electricallyconductive material including, for example, one or more metals such as,for example, workfunction metals. According to various embodiments, fora PMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrodematerial may include, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium,platinum, cobalt, nickel, and conductive metal oxides, e.g., rutheniumoxide. A p-type metal layer may enable the formation of a PMOS gateelectrode with a workfunction that is between about 4.9 eV and about 5.2eV. For an NMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gateelectrode material may include, but are not limited to, hafnium,zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, alloys of these metals, andcarbides of these metals such as hafnium carbide, zirconium carbide,titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and aluminum carbide. An N-typemetal layer may enable the formation of an NMOS gate electrode with aworkfunction that is between about 3.9 eV and about 4.2 eV. Othersuitable materials may be used to form the lines 332 in otherembodiments.

In some embodiments, the gate electrode material of the lines 332 may bedeposited on a gate dielectric that is disposed on a channel body of atransistor device. According to various embodiments, the gate dielectricmay be formed of a material such as silicon dioxide (SiO2) or a high-kmaterial. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in the gatedielectric layer include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide, hafniumsilicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconiumoxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, bariumstrontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titaniumoxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, andlead zinc niobate. The gate electrode material of the lines 332 may bedeposited on other structures or features of the transistor device suchas, for example, spacers, source/drain regions or other well-knownfeatures of a transistor device. The lines 332 may be formed accordingother suitable techniques in other embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3 b , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to depositing a first electrically insulativematerial 334 to fill regions between the lines 332, as can be seen. Thefirst electrically insulative material 334 may be composed of a widevariety of suitable materials including, for example, an interlayerdielectric (ILD) material such as silicon oxide.

Referring to FIG. 3 c , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to recessing the first electrically insulativematerial 334 by polishing, as can be seen. The first electricallyinsulative material 334 may be recessed to provide a surface of thefirst electrically insulative material 334 that is planar with arespective surface of the gate electrode material of the lines 332, ascan be seen in the cross-section side view along lines A-A′ and B-B′.

Referring to FIG. 3 d , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to removing a portion of one or more of the lines332 to form one or more respective openings (hereinafter “openings 333”)in the one or more lines 332, as can be seen. Forming the openings 333may be referred to as a “gate cut” operation. The portion of one or moreof the lines 332 may be removed to form the openings 333 in order toisolate gate electrode material of a first transistor device from gateelectrode material of a second transistor device. For example, the firsttransistor device (not shown) may underly a first portion 332 a of anindividual line of the lines 332 and the second transistor device (notshown) may underly a second portion 332 b of the individual line. Theopenings 333 may be formed using any suitable technique including, forexample, a patterning process.

Referring to FIG. 3 e , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to depositing a second electrically insulativematerial 336 to fill the openings 333, as can be seen. In someembodiments, depositing the second electrically insulative material 336may be referred to as a “gate plug fill” operation. The secondelectrically insulative material 336 may isolate gate electrode materialof the first portion 332 a from gate electrode material of the secondportion 332 b.

The second electrically insulative material 336 may be composed of anyof a wide variety of suitable materials including, for example, siliconnitride in one embodiment. In some embodiments, the second electricallyinsulative material 336 may have a different chemical composition thanthe first electrically insulative material 334 to facilitate selectiveetching in subsequent processes.

Referring to FIG. 3 f , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to recessing the second electrically insulativematerial 336 by polishing, as can be seen. The second electricallyinsulative material 336 may be recessed to provide a surface of thesecond electrically insulative material 336 that is planar withrespective surfaces of the gate electrode material of the lines 332 andthe first electrically insulative material 334, as can be seen in thecross-section side view along lines A-A′ and B-B′. The secondelectrically insulative material 336 deposited in the opening 333 may bereferred to as a “gate plug” in some embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3 g , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to removing portions of the first electricallyinsulative material 334 to form respective openings (hereinafter“openings 335”) in the first electrically insulative material 334between the lines 332, as can be seen. The openings 335 may be formedusing any suitable technique including, for example, a patterningprocess. In some embodiments, a selective etch process may be used toremove the first electrically insulative material 334 withoutsubstantially removing the second electrically insulative material 336.In some embodiments, formation of the openings 335 may expose portionsof the second electrically insulative material 336 that were covered bythe first electrically insulative material 334 prior to removing theportions of first electrically insulative material 334, as can be seen.Subsequent to removing the portions of the first electrically insulativematerial 334, remaining portions of the first electrically insulativematerial 334 may be referred to as a “contact plug,” which may beconfigured to isolate contact electrode material (e.g., source/draincontacts) of discrete transistors devices (e.g., the first transistordevice and the second transistor device described in connection withFIG. 3 d ).

Referring to FIG. 3 h , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to depositing a contact electrode material 338 tofill the openings 335, as can be seen. The deposited contact electrodematerial 338 may form source and/or drain contacts of discretetransistor devices. According to various embodiments, the contactelectrode material 338 may be composed of any of a wide variety ofsuitable electrically conductive materials such as, for example, one ormore metals.

Referring to FIG. 3 i , the transistor electrode structure 300 isdepicted subsequent to recessing the contact electrode material 338 bypolishing, as can be seen. The contact electrode material 338 may berecessed to provide a surface of the contact electrode material 338 thatis planar with a respective surfaces of the gate electrode material ofthe lines 332, the first electrically insulative material 334, and thesecond electrically insulative material 336 as can be seen in thecross-section side view along lines A-A′ and B-B′. In some embodiments,source/drain structures of different transistor devices may be isolatedfrom one another by contact plugs composed of the first electricallyinsulative material 334 and disposed between portions of the contactelectrode material 338, as can be seen.

For example, in embodiments where the transistor electrode structure 300is formed on fin-based transistor devices, a first fin structure 350 andsecond fin structure 352 may underly the transistor electrode structure300, as can be seen. The fin structures 350, 352 may serve as channelbodies of discrete transistors in some embodiments. In theseembodiments, transistor structures of a first transistor device mayinclude a portion of the first fin structure 350 and transistorstructures of a second transistor device may include a portion of thesecond fin structure 352. The gate plugs and contact plugs formed by therespective first electrically insulative material 334 and secondelectrically insulative material 336 may isolate gate electrode material(e.g., of lines 332) and contact electrode material 338 of the firsttransistor from gate electrode material and contact electrode material338 of the second transistor. In other embodiments, the transistorelectrode structure 300 may be formed on other transistor structuressuch as, for example, well-known structures of nanowire transistordevices or planar transistor devices.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the gate plug formed by thefirst electrically insulative material 334 is in direct contact with thecontact plug formed by the second electrically insulative material 336.In some embodiments, at least a portion of the contact electrodematerial 338 is in direct contact with the gate plug. Other materialsand/or structures may be disposed between material structures describedin connection with the transistor electrode structure 300. For example,in some embodiments, spacers may be formed according to well-knowntechniques to electrically isolate the gate electrode material of thelines 332 from the contact electrode material 338.

Forming a transistor electrode structure 300 as described herein mayprovide a transistor electrode structure 300 with reduced defects suchas transistor gate short defects. For example, performing the gate cutoperation subsequent to depositing the first electrically insulativematerial 334 may allow deposition of the second electrically insulativematerial 336 to form the gate plug. Using different materials for thegate plug and contact plug may reduce a likelihood that material of thegate plug is removed during removal of portions of the firstelectrically insulative material 334 to form the contact plug, which inturn, may prevent or reduce a likelihood that contact electrode material338 is deposited in the gate plug region (e.g., the region of theopening 333 directly between the first portion 332 a and the secondportion 332 b of FIG. 3 d ) and create short defects, as can be seen inFIG. 3 i.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a flow diagram for a method 400 offabricating a transistor electrode structure (e.g., transistor electrodestructure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ), in accordance with some embodiments. Themethod 400 may comport with embodiments described in connection withFIGS. 1-3 and vice versa.

At 402, the method 400 may include forming a plurality of lines (e.g.,lines 332 of FIG. 3 a ) comprising a gate electrode material. The linesmay be formed, for example, by depositing the gate electrode materialover a plurality of transistor structures (e.g., of a device layer 330of FIG. 3 a ), polishing the gate electrode material and patterning thegate electrode material.

At 404, the method 400 may include depositing a first electricallyinsulative material (e.g., first electrically insulative material 334 ofFIG. 3 b ) between the lines. The first electrically insulative materialmay be deposited using any suitable deposition technique. In someembodiments, a polishing process may be used to recess the firstelectrically insulative material.

At 406, the method 400 may include removing a portion of one or more ofthe lines to form an opening (e.g., opening 333 of FIG. 3 d ) thatisolates respective gate electrode material of discrete transistordevices (e.g., a gate cut operation). The portion of the one or morelines may be removed using any suitable technique and may be removedsubsequent to depositing the first electrically insulative material at404 to allow deposition of a different electrically insulative materialto form a gate plug in the opening. In some embodiments, removing theportion at 406 may be performed using a patterning process.

At 408, the method 400 may include depositing a second electricallyinsulative material (e.g., second electrically insulative material 336of FIG. 3 e ) to fill the opening. The deposited second electricallyinsulative material may form a gate plug. In some embodiments, thesecond electrically insulative material may be deposited to cover thelines and the first electrically insulative material. A polishingprocess may be used to recess the second electrically insulativematerial and provide a planar surface.

At 410, the method 400 may include removing portions of the firstelectrically insulative material to form openings (e.g., openings 335 ofFIG. 3 g ) between at least two of the lines. In some embodiments, theremoving the portions of the first electrically insulative material maybe performed by a selective etch process that removes the firstelectrically insulative material at a greater rate than the secondelectrically insulative material. In some embodiments, the selectiveetch process removes substantially none of the second electricallyinsulative material. In some embodiments, the first electricallyinsulative material may comprise one of silicon oxide or silicon nitrideand the second electrically insulative material may comprise siliconoxide if the first electrically insulative material comprises siliconnitride or silicon nitride if the first electrically insulative materialcomprises silicon oxide. The openings may expose at least a portion ofthe second electrically insulative material that was covered by thefirst electrically insulative material prior to removing the portions ofthe first electrically insulative material. Remaining portions of thefirst electrically insulative material may be configured to isolatesource or drain contacts of discrete transistor devices.

At 412, the method 400 may include depositing a contact electrodematerial to fill the openings (e.g., openings 335 of FIG. 3 g ) and formsource or drain contacts of the discrete transistor devices. In someembodiments, the contact electrode material may be recessed by a polishprocess to provide a planar surface.

Various operations are described as multiple discrete operations inturn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimedsubject matter. However, the order of description should not beconstrued as to imply that these operations are necessarily orderdependent. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented intoa system using any suitable hardware and/or software to configure asdesired.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example system (e.g., computingdevice 500) that may include a transistor electrode structure (e.g.,transistor electrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ) as described herein,in accordance with some embodiments. The motherboard 502 may include anumber of components, including but not limited to a processor 504 andat least one communication chip 506. The processor 504 may be physicallyand electrically coupled to the motherboard 502. In someimplementations, the at least one communication chip 506 may also bephysically and electrically coupled to the motherboard 502. In furtherimplementations, the communication chip 506 may be part of the processor504.

Depending on its applications, computing device 500 may include othercomponents that may or may not be physically and electrically coupled tothe motherboard 502. These other components may include, but are notlimited to, volatile memory (e.g., DRAM), non-volatile memory (e.g.,ROM), flash memory, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, acrypto processor, a chipset, an antenna, a display, a touchscreendisplay, a touchscreen controller, a battery, an audio codec, a videocodec, a power amplifier, a global positioning system (GPS) device, acompass, a Geiger counter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a speaker, acamera, and a mass storage device (such as hard disk drive, compact disk(CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and so forth).

The communication chip 506 may enable wireless communications for thetransfer of data to and from the computing device 500. The term“wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc.,that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagneticradiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that theassociated devices do not contain any wires, although in someembodiments they might not. The communication chip 506 may implement anyof a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but notlimited to Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)standards including Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards(e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005 Amendment), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) projectalong with any amendments, updates, and/or revisions (e.g., advanced LTEproject, ultra mobile broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as“3GPP2”), etc.). IEEE 802.16 compatible BWA networks are generallyreferred to as WiMAX networks, an acronym that stands for WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access, which is a certification mark forproducts that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE802.16 standards. The communication chip 506 may operate in accordancewith a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General PacketRadio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTE network.The communication chip 506 may operate in accordance with Enhanced Datafor GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN),Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN(E-UTRAN). The communication chip 506 may operate in accordance withCode Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT),Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), derivatives thereof, as well as anyother wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond.The communication chip 506 may operate in accordance with other wirelessprotocols in other embodiments.

The computing device 500 may include a plurality of communication chips506. For instance, a first communication chip 506 may be dedicated toshorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and asecond communication chip 506 may be dedicated to longer range wirelesscommunications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, andothers.

The processor 504 of the computing device 500 may include a die (e.g.,die 102 of FIGS. 1-2 ) having a transistor electrode structure (e.g.,transistor electrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ) as described herein.For example, the die 102 of FIGS. 1-2 may be mounted in a packageassembly that is mounted on the motherboard 502. The term “processor”may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronicdata from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data intoother electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory.

The communication chip 506 may also include a die (e.g., die 102 ofFIGS. 1-2 ) having a transistor electrode structure (e.g., transistorelectrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3 a-i ) as described herein. In furtherimplementations, another component (e.g., memory device or otherintegrated circuit device) housed within the computing device 500 maycontain a die (e.g., die 102 of FIGS. 1-2 ) having a transistorelectrode structure (e.g., transistor electrode structure 300 of FIGS. 3a-i ) as described herein.

In various implementations, the computing device 500 may be a mobilecomputing device, laptop, a netbook, a notebook, an ultrabook, asmartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultramobile PC, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a server, a printer, ascanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, adigital camera, a portable music player, or a digital video recorder. Infurther implementations, the computing device 500 may be any otherelectronic device that processes data.

Examples

According to various embodiments, the present disclosure describes amethod. Example 1 of the method includes forming a plurality of lines,wherein individual lines of the plurality of lines comprise a gateelectrode material, depositing an electrically insulative material tofill regions between the individual lines and subsequent to depositingthe electrically insulative material, removing a portion of at least oneof the individual lines to isolate gate electrode material of a firsttransistor device from gate electrode material of a second transistordevice. Example 2 may include the method of Example 1, wherein formingthe plurality of lines comprises depositing the gate electrode materialover a plurality of transistor structures including respectivetransistor structures of the first transistor device and the secondtransistor device, polishing the gate electrode material and patterningthe gate electrode material. Example 3 of the method may include themethod of Example 1, wherein the individual lines extend in a directionparallel to one another, the transistor structure of the firsttransistor device includes a portion of a first fin structure, thetransistor structure of the second transistor device includes a portionof a second fin structure and the first fin structure and the second finstructure extend in a direction perpendicular to the individual lines.Example 4 may include the method of Example 1, further comprising priorto removing the portion, polishing the electrically insulative materialto provide a surface of the electrically insulative material that isplanar with a surface of the gate electrode material. Example 5 mayinclude the method of Example 1, wherein removing the portion isperformed by patterning at least one of the individual lines. Example 6may include the method of any of Examples 1-5, wherein the electricallyinsulative material is a first electrically insulative material, themethod further comprising depositing a second electrically insulativematerial to fill an opening where the portion of at least one of theindividual lines is removed, the second electrically insulative materialhaving a different chemical composition than the first electricallyinsulative material. Example 7 may include the method of Example 6,wherein depositing the second electrically insulative material comprisesdepositing the second electrically insulative material to cover theindividual lines and the first electrically insulative material, themethod further comprising polishing the second electrically insulativematerial to provide a surface of the second electrically insulativematerial that is planar with surfaces of the gate electrode material andthe first electrically insulative material. Example 8 may include themethod of Example 6, further comprising removing portions of the firstelectrically insulative material to form openings between the individuallines and depositing a contact electrode material to fill the openingsand form respective source or drain contacts of at least the firsttransistor device and the second transistor device. Example 9 mayinclude the method of Example 8, wherein the openings expose at least aportion of the second electrically insulative material that was coveredby the first electrically insulative material prior to removing theportions of the first electrically insulative material, removing theportions of the first electrically insulative material is performed by aselective etch process that removes the first electrically insulativematerial without substantially removing the second electricallyinsulative material and subsequent to removing the portions of the firstelectrically insulative material, remaining portions of the firstelectrically insulative material are configured to isolate source ordrain contacts of the first transistor device from source or draincontacts of the second transistor device. Example 10 may include themethod of Example 8, further comprising polishing the contact electrodematerial to provide a surface of the contact electrode material that isplanar with respective surfaces of the first electrically insulativematerial, the second electrically insulative material and the gateelectrode material.

According to various embodiments, the present disclosure describes anapparatus. Example 11 of an apparatus may include a plurality of lines,wherein individual lines of the plurality of lines comprise a gateelectrode material, a gate plug disposed between a first portion of afirst individual line of the individual lines and a second portion ofthe first individual line to isolate gate electrode material of a firsttransistor device from gate electrode material of a second transistordevice, a contact electrode material disposed between the firstindividual line and a second individual line of the individual lines anda contact plug disposed between the first individual line and the secondindividual line to isolate source or drain contacts of the firsttransistor device from source or drain contacts of the second transistordevice, wherein the contact plug comprises a first electricallyinsulative material and the gate plug comprises a second electricallyinsulative material that has a different chemical composition than thefirst electrically insulative material. Example 12 may include theapparatus of Example 11, wherein at least a portion of the gate plug isin direct contact with the contact plug. Example 13 may include theapparatus of Example 13, wherein at least a portion of the contactelectrode material is in direct contact with the gate plug. Example 14may include the apparatus of any of Examples 11-13, wherein the contactelectrode material is not disposed directly between the first portionand the second portion of the first individual line. Example 15 mayinclude the apparatus of any of Examples 11-13, wherein the firsttransistor device and the second transistor device are fin-basedtransistor devices. Example 16 may include the apparatus of any ofExamples 11-13, wherein the first electrically insulative materialcomprises silicon oxide and the second electrically insulative materialcomprises silicon nitride.

According to various embodiments, the present disclosure describes asystem (e.g., a computing device). Example 17 of a computing device mayinclude a circuit board and a die coupled with the circuit board, thedie including a plurality of lines, wherein individual lines of theplurality of lines comprise a gate electrode material, a gate plugdisposed between a first portion of a first individual line of theindividual lines and a second portion of the first individual line toisolate gate electrode material of a first transistor device from gateelectrode material of a second transistor device, a contact electrodematerial disposed between the first individual line and a secondindividual line of the individual lines, and a contact plug disposedbetween the first individual line and the second individual line toisolate source or drain contacts of the first transistor device fromsource or drain contacts of the second transistor device, wherein thecontact plug comprises a first electrically insulative material and thegate plug comprises a second electrically insulative material that has adifferent chemical composition than the first electrically insulativematerial. Example 18 may include the computing device of Example 17,wherein at least a portion of the gate plug is in direct contact withthe contact plug. Example 19 may include the computing device of Example18, wherein at least a portion of the contact electrode material is indirect contact with the gate plug. Example 20 may include the computingdevice of any of Examples 17-19, wherein the die is a processor and thecomputing device is a mobile computing device including one or more ofan antenna, a display, a touchscreen display, a touchscreen controller,a battery, an audio codec, a video codec, a power amplifier, a globalpositioning system (GPS) device, a compass, a Geiger counter, anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, a speaker, and a camera.

Various embodiments may include any suitable combination of theabove-described embodiments including alternative (or) embodiments ofembodiments that are described in conjunctive form (and) above (e.g.,the “and” may be “and/or”). Furthermore, some embodiments may includeone or more articles of manufacture (e.g., non-transitorycomputer-readable media) having instructions, stored thereon, that whenexecuted result in actions of any of the above-described embodiments.Moreover, some embodiments may include apparatuses or systems having anysuitable means for carrying out the various operations of theabove-described embodiments.

The above description of illustrated implementations, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe embodiments of the present disclosure to the precise formsdisclosed. While specific implementations and examples are describedherein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications arepossible within the scope of the present disclosure, as those skilled inthe relevant art will recognize.

These modifications may be made to embodiments of the present disclosurein light of the above detailed description. The terms used in thefollowing claims should not be construed to limit various embodiments ofthe present disclosure to the specific implementations disclosed in thespecification and the claims. Rather, the scope is to be determinedentirely by the following claims, which are to be construed inaccordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An integrated circuit structure, comprising: afirst gate electrode, the first gate electrode having a long axis and awidth, the long axis along a direction; a second gate electrode, thesecond gate electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axisalong the direction, wherein the long axis of the first gate structureand the long axis of the second gate structure are along a same firstcentral axis; a gate plug between the first gate electrode and thesecond gate electrode; a first contact electrode, the first contactelectrode having a long axis and a width, the long axis along thedirection; a second contact electrode, the second contact electrodehaving a long axis and a width, the long axis along the direction,wherein the long axis of the first contact electrode and the long axisof the second contact electrode are along a same second central axis;and a contact plug between and in direct contact with the first contactelectrode and the second contact electrode, wherein the contact plug isin contact with the gate plug.
 2. The integrated circuit structure ofclaim 1, further comprising: a first fin structure having a long axisand a width, the long axis along a second direction, the seconddirection orthogonal to the direction, wherein the first gate electrodeis over the first fin structure, and wherein the first contact electrodeis over the first fin structure; a second fin structure having a longaxis and a width, the long axis along the second direction, wherein thesecond gate electrode is over the second fin structure, and wherein thesecond contact electrode is over the second fin structure.
 3. Theintegrated circuit structure of claim 2, further comprising: a thirdgate electrode over the first fin structure, the third gate electrodehaving a long axis and a width, the long axis along the direction; and afourth gate electrode over the second fin structure, the fourth gateelectrode having a long axis and a width, the long axis along thedirection, wherein the long axis of the third gate electrode and thelong axis of the fourth gate electrode are along a same third centralaxis.
 4. The integrated circuit structure of claim 3, furthercomprising: a third contact electrode over the first fin structure, thethird contact electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axisalong the direction; and a fourth contact electrode over the second finstructure, the fourth contact electrode having a long axis and a width,the long axis along the direction, wherein the long axis of the thirdcontact electrode and the long axis of the fourth contact electrode arealong a same fourth central axis.
 5. The integrated circuit structure ofclaim 2, further comprising: a first gate dielectric layer between thefirst fin structure and the first gate electrode; and a second gatedielectric layer between the second fin structure and the second gateelectrode.
 6. The integrated circuit structure of claim 1, wherein thegate plug has a width no greater than the width of the first gateelectrode and no greater than the width of the second gate electrode. 7.The integrated circuit structure of claim 1, wherein the contact plughas a chemical composition different than a chemical composition of thegate plug.
 8. The integrated circuit structure of claim 1, furthercomprising: a first nanowire structure having a long axis and a width,the long axis along a second direction, the second direction orthogonalto the direction, wherein the first gate electrode is over the firstnanowire structure, and wherein the first contact electrode is over thefirst nanowire structure; a second nanowire structure having a long axisand a width, the long axis along the second direction, wherein thesecond gate electrode is over the second nanowire structure, and whereinthe second contact electrode is over the second nanowire structure. 9.An integrated circuit structure, comprising: a first channel body havinga long axis and a width, the long axis along a first direction; a secondchannel body having a long axis and a width, the long axis along thefirst direction; a first gate electrode over the first channel body, thefirst gate electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axis alonga second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the widthalong the first direction; a second gate electrode over the secondchannel body, the second gate electrode having a long axis and a width,the long axis along the second direction, and the width along the firstdirection, wherein the long axis of the first gate structure and thelong axis of the second gate structure are along a same first centralaxis; an insulating material between the first gate electrode and thesecond gate electrode, the insulating material having a first chemicalcomposition; a first contact electrode over the first channel body, thefirst contact electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axisalong the second direction; a second contact electrode over the secondchannel body, the second contact electrode having a long axis and awidth, the long axis along the second direction, wherein the long axisof the first contact electrode and the long axis of the second contactelectrode are along a same second central axis; and a contact plugbetween and in direct contact with the first contact electrode and thesecond contact electrode, the contact plug having a second chemicalcomposition different than the first chemical composition, wherein thecontact plug is in contact with the insulating material.
 10. Theintegrated circuit structure of claim 9, wherein the first channel bodyis a first nanowire, and the second channel body is second nanowire. 11.The integrated circuit structure of claim 9, wherein the first channelbody is a first fin structure, and the second channel body is second finstructure.
 12. The integrated circuit structure of claim 9, furthercomprising: a third gate electrode over the first channel body, thethird gate electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axis alongthe second direction; and a fourth gate electrode over the secondchannel body, the fourth gate electrode having a long axis and a width,the long axis along the second direction, wherein the long axis of thethird gate electrode and the long axis of the fourth gate electrode arealong a same third central axis.
 13. The integrated circuit structure ofclaim 12, further comprising: a third contact electrode over the firstchannel body, the third contact electrode having a long axis and awidth, the long axis along the second direction; and a fourth contactelectrode over the second fin structure, the fourth contact electrodehaving a long axis and a width, the long axis along the seconddirection, wherein the long axis of the third contact electrode and thelong axis of the fourth contact electrode are along a same fourthcentral axis.
 14. The integrated circuit structure of claim 9, furthercomprising: a third contact electrode over the first channel body, thethird contact electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axisalong the second direction; and a fourth contact electrode over thesecond channel body, the fourth contact electrode having a long axis anda width, the long axis along the second direction, wherein the long axisof the third contact electrode and the long axis of the fourth contactelectrode are along a same third central axis.
 15. The integratedcircuit structure of claim 9, further comprising: a first gatedielectric layer between the first channel body and the first gateelectrode; and a second gate dielectric layer between the second channelbody and the second gate electrode.
 16. The integrated circuit structureof claim 9, wherein the insulating material has a width no greater thanthe width of the first gate electrode and no greater than the width ofthe second gate electrode.
 17. A computing device, comprising: a board;and a component coupled to the board, the component including anintegrated circuit structure, comprising: a first gate electrode, thefirst gate electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axis alonga direction; a second gate electrode, the second gate electrode having along axis and a width, the long axis along the direction, wherein thelong axis of the first gate structure and the long axis of the secondgate structure are along a same first central axis; a gate plug betweenthe first gate electrode and the second gate electrode; a first contactelectrode, the first contact electrode having a long axis and a width,the long axis along the direction; a second contact electrode, thesecond contact electrode having a long axis and a width, the long axisalong the direction, wherein the long axis of the first contactelectrode and the long axis of the second contact electrode are along asame second central axis; and a contact plug between and in directcontact with the first contact electrode and the second contactelectrode, wherein the contact plug is in contact with the gate plug.18. The computing device of claim 17, further comprising: a memorycoupled to the board.
 19. The computing device of claim 17, furthercomprising: a communication chip coupled to the board.
 20. The computingdevice of claim 17, wherein the component is a packaged integratedcircuit die.
 21. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the componentis selected from the group consisting of a processor, a communicationschip, and a digital signal processor.
 22. The computing device of claim17, the integrated circuit structure further comprising: a first finstructure having a long axis and a width, the long axis along a seconddirection, the second direction orthogonal to the direction, wherein thefirst gate electrode is over the first fin structure, and wherein thefirst contact electrode is over the first fin structure; a second finstructure having a long axis and a width, the long axis along the seconddirection, wherein the second gate electrode is over the second finstructure, and wherein the second contact electrode is over the secondfin structure.
 23. The computing device of claim 17, the integratedcircuit structure further comprising: a first nanowire structure havinga long axis and a width, the long axis along a second direction, thesecond direction orthogonal to the direction, wherein the first gateelectrode is over the first nanowire structure, and wherein the firstcontact electrode is over the first nanowire structure; a secondnanowire structure having a long axis and a width, the long axis alongthe second direction, wherein the second gate electrode is over thesecond nanowire structure, and wherein the second contact electrode isover the second nanowire structure.